Sorry, I just don’t get the tax cap idea. Everyone wants the state off the backs of local authorities (towns and schools), i.e., we want the state to fund those pesky “unfunded mandates”. But at the same time, there is a call for the state to constrain property tax rates. Even if the unfunded mandates were funded by the state, the tax cap idea is still a big-brother action by the state against the local authorities. Local authorities are perfectly capable of capping their own tax increases, and if you don’t like it, you can vote out the school board (or move).

Everyone loves how STAR reduces property tax bills, but where does that state aid come from? It comes from other taxes collected by the state. You’re paying the same number of dollars, but when the state reduces your property tax bill, the local authorities are less motivated to keep tax levies low.

STAR is enhanced for seniors, and towns love that, because it keeps property ownership rates high. Seniors are better able to stay in their homes. But it’s artificial, since again, the money is circulated through the state before returning to the local area. If towns and schools want to encourage property ownership by seniors, they can do that without state help.

I just want to pay the state for state stuff, and the local authorities for local stuff. It won’t drive away seniors or hurt the schools.

By the way, Sarah Shourd, the American hiker released from an Iranian prison, had been hiking in Iraq with her now-fiance and another friend. I suppose I’m glad she was released, but when they came up with the idea to go hiking in Iraq, were they out of their freaking minds?

1. I recently wondered in this blog about the total assessed value of all local properties. Fairport Village trustee Wayne Shipman thankfully made me realize that the information was essentially in the budget reports we see. From the Fairport Central School District web site, I divided the total tax levy by the tax rate. This shows that the total assessed value within the FCSD is a bit under 3 billion dollars, and rose 1.6% from 2009-10 to 2010-11. This allowed the district to drop the tax rate 1.2% while collecting 0.3% more in tax dollars. Revenue from other sources (state aid, etc.), which is over 40 million dollars per year, rose 5%. Ultimately, the district is spending more money and raising taxes, not necessarily bad or unexpected, I’m just saying…

2. I see lots of internet and printed comments from people who would like their legislators to be replaced. As ineffective as our state legislators are in fixing the state’s financial problems, to replace them assumes that someone else will step up to run for office. If anyone out there has any interest in running for office, I encourage you to get involved. Start at the local level, whatever, but good candidates are always needed.

3. Recent local stories indicate that gangs have been planning mass fights at public venues such as the Liberty Pole downtown, Seabreeze Park and a recent festival in Greece. Of course, we don’t want to see anyone get hurt, but don’t be fooled into thinking that that’s why the venues have closed. If it was only a safety issue, the cops could handle it. The reason for actually closing the venues, in my opinion, is because of concern over lawsuits. We hear lots of comments about how we have surrendered to the hooligans, but which hooligans? The rowdy youths, the lawyers, or the people looking for any chance to sue someone?

Typically, school and town budget publications list expenses and income, with a tax rate and a tax levy. But this isn’t “full disclosure”. If assessments rise a lot, and expenses rise just a little, then the tax rate may decrease even while more tax dollars are collected. It’s useful for taxpayers to have some notion of what that sneaky assessor has been up to.

I know what my home’s assessed value is (Perinton notifies me directly, and it’s on the internet), but I have not been able to find total assessment data on the internet. Tax rates are a complicated mix of levies and property values (commercial and residential), so it’s not really possible for me to verify the residential tax rate from the raw data. Still, I wish I could see, for example, the total assessed value of all taxed properties in Perinton.

The proposed Fairport Central School District budget offers up a reduced tax rate (the amount we pay per $1000 of property value) and a reduced tax levy (the total amount collected by the district through property taxes). Total spending will increase a bit, with the difference made up by government aid, rollover funds and other revenue. The typical homeowner will still pay more in property taxes due to the loss of the extra STAR rebate that had been mailed to us the last couple of years.

Note that the basic STAR rebate has not been canceled, and you’ll see that reduction on your bill. Only the extra cash payment will be lost, due to the state’s budet woes. Personally, I think STAR has been problematic all along. It artificially reduces property tax payments, which has allowed school districts to spend more, over the years, without focusing all the attention on the local budget developers. I’m not saying all spending has been bad, and school districts pay part of the cost of government mandates, and we’re certainly proud of our Fairport schools, but we seem to have developed a mentality that high property taxes are the state government’s problem. But they’re as much a local problem, and our state tax bills our higher in order to cover the STAR rebates.

Perry sets the date for 2014, pulls the lever, lights flash, the machine shakes, then stops and they seem safe. But could they really have traveled to the future? The twisty passages look the same, except with more books that no one reads about why ladies shouldn’t publicly expose tattoos on their lower backs.

Perry and Della emerge from the public library in 2014. It still looks like downtown Fairport … but wait! Is that a Walgreens sign atop the First Baptist steeple? “I hope they sell Fruitopia!” exclaims Perry.

The weather is hot and sunny. A pleasant fellow wishes them a happy Presidents’ Day. “Well, I guess global warming has really kicked in,” says Della. A line of cars waits on both sides of the railroad tracks. “But some things never change,” she chuckles.

A 2014 sign says, “Remember: skateboarding is a crime!” The few youths seen outside lean lackadaisically against buildings, texting each other.

Perry and Della grab a high-speed rail shuttle eastward. Small video screens built into every seat-back show PEN, the Public Executions Network. A video news flash reports on the final print run of the Democrat & Chronicle. The train stops near the High Acres Landfill and Performing Arts Center, this night featuring Jessica Simpson with the RPO.

A piece of paper flutters by in the breeze. Perry grabs it - a property tax receipt for a nearby home. “The taxes are so low in 2014!” exclaims Perry. “But I see why!” At the top of the receipt is the town name of FAIRINDON, with this letterhead:

Low Fairindon taxes resulting from the merger of Fairport, Perinton and Macedon.

“Wow, that Andy Cuomo really was right!”

Della shudders at all this. “Perry, we need to get back to the comforts of 2009!” They hop on the westbound high speed rail shuttle. At the library they snake their way through the twisty passages to the time machine. Perry pulls the lever and they are home.

Back in 2009, eastside youths skate happily in the cool February weather, bother no one, get actual physical exercise and patronize local shops.

Ahhh, it wouldn’t be a budget discussion without a manifesto from Art Muldoon, Fairport business leader and fiscal watchdog (Fairport-East Rochester Post, January 7, 2009). I can’t find a web link, so I won’t respond point by point, but Art remains true to the form he has established over the last few years.

Art’s latest theme is that the compensation of Fairport/Perinton village, town and school district public servants should be tied to the overall state of the economy. Art writes that the “typical everyman” is struggling; therefore, public spending should be restrained. Art is “incredulous” and “dumbfounded” that an (unnamed) official disagreed that there should be this correlation.

It’s true that such budgets are not tied to current events such as recessions and layoffs. The process isn’t designed for immediate reactions to, say, a rash of layoffs in a neighborhood. I do think that taxing authorities react in the long term. High taxes cause people to move or choose other areas, and officials take actions to attract residents and businesses. But that ebb and flow can take a long time, perhaps decades.

We citizens choose where to live and work, and we choose the authors of the budgets. Art’s article makes note of the impact his Citizens for Responsible and Quality Education had on defeating the 2006 FCSD facilities proposal, but it’s inefficient to put every line item up for a vote.

Art and many other writers promote the notion that public entities should be run like for-profit businesses, but that’s simplistic. Taxpayers are not exactly customers. Communities don’t lay off students because their schools aren’t profitable, or turn off the water because an official is incompetent. There is a constant tension between citizen desire for services and taxpayer desire for savings, regardless of the state of Art’s “real economy” . If Perinton became a corporation, we might be a Disney and live happily ever after. Or, we might be an Enron.

Gary Gocek grew up in Liverpool (central NY) and attended RIT (BS in CS). He has lived in or around Fairport for over 20 years. Gary now lives west of the village of Fairport with his wife, two cats and two guitars. He has two young-adult sons who graduated from FHS.

Gary works as a software developer and enjoys his family, music, ethnic heritage activities, church activities and DVDs-by-mail. He maintains family and other websites. After 9/11, he became a news junkie, gathering news from the D&C, TV, radio and the Internet. Gary says blogging is a natural extension, and for the D&C he hopes to "mix typical diary-like blog entries with humorous posts and comments on local politics."